February 25, 2015

EP: Sunflower Bean - Show Me Your Seven Secrets

Show Me Your Seven Secrets is psychedelic rock for the digital age.

I recently moved to Philadelphia and as one of the oldest cities in the United States, it seems
to constantly propagate a tireless, aching nostalgia. Cobblestone roads still exist, colonial
architecture neighbors high-rises, and the signs of gentrification are visible under the awnings of their original storefronts. At every end, the city recalls the past. It
seems only suiting to listen to Sunflower Bean’s EP, Show Me Your Seven Secrets, which
blatantly references the era of psychedelic rock during the digital age. Show Me Your Seven Secrets is best to listen to with others — ideally live at a basement
show with some low-key moshing and the imminent threat of being shut-down before 11 PM.

Sunflower Bean’s sound is youthful and wild, but approachable to anyone who rarely listens to a
rock song from the seventies. Creators of self-described “night music,” Sunflower Bean make dance-ready brooding tunes without taking themselves too seriously. “What if I told you you’d live to
be one hundred, baby would you like that?”, they croon in their upbeat song, “2013.” Sunflower
Bean is referential but not stagnant, jammy but not indulgent, nostalgic but not overdone. They manage a comfortable position straddling the line of extremities. As I continue
to wander through the anachronistic streets of Philadelphia, I imagine Show Me Your Seven
Secrets will be on my mind, reminding me that a time when digital-punk psychedelic rock can
exist is an incredible and dynamic one.